Dragonflies

Atlanta is a city of tall trees, skyscrapers and parking garages. It’s hard to see the sky and feel a sense of space. My refuge is a creek and small forest near my house. When I go there, I step into another world and the noise of construction, traffic, and sirens fade away.  My distracted mind and compulsive thinking gets quieter.

When I’m in the forest, I tend to go inward and focus on the small aspects of nature.  The dragonflies appeared around the creek in May. I fell in love with their flight and sparkling colors.

I was inspired enough to start drawing them and include them in a painting.

OK, they’re subtle here—how many do you see? Dragonfly #1, 16” x 20” acrylic, pastel and charcoal on paper

Symbolically, dragonflies represent transformation, change, and adaptability. Until now, I have been focused on movement of humans in my art, but currently I’m looking at the buzzing movement of nature around humans. Humans and flying insects are part of a new series “Fanciful Flight” coming this fall.

BONUS: Dragonflies up-close

To see some incredible photos of dragonflies up-close, check out the photography of John Rosford here. The site may take a few minutes to load but it’s worth the wait.